Shards of Glass
by silverdevil133
Summary: Is it possible to find love again after loosing one? Read more to find out Bruce Wayne/Batman falling in love again. I wanted him to have a happy ending, I just love him too much to let him stay all alone! :)
1. Chapter 1

**He sat at the corner of the room, pondering over the mess he was in. It was too late, the damage had been done and he had to deal with it. She knew that he was the caped vigilante, who saves people in Gotham, but he did not want to ask her yet, it was only a hunch after all. Alfred entered his room then and noticed Bruce's gloominess.**

**"Master Wayne, why so dull?"**

**"I think she knows, I think she knows it's me."**

**"But that cannot be it sir, Miss Rosewood seemed pretty chirpy this morning, I am quite certain she does not know."**

**"Oh no Alfred, I know her too well to make clouded judgments. We have to divert her ideas immediately; I want her to be safe."**

**"Want whom to be safe, Bruce?" Alicia entered the master chamber.**

**"You, my love, I want you to travel with Alfred when you are not with me. I cannot stand it if anything were to happen to you." Bruce said possessively and ****grabbed her waist.**

**"Will that be all, Master Wayne?"**

**"That will be all, Alfred."**

**He traced the stress lines on her forehead lovingly and cupped her face. She smiled at him and counted herself lucky, not because she was betrothed to one of the most powerful men in the world, but to end Bruce's pain and loneliness once and for all. He had been alone for too long, his string of affairs with Brazilian and Italian models did not fool her, they were merely entertainment.**

**He held her for so long and lost track of time, he liked that about Alicia, she never interrupted him when he was serious or when he was passionate, and she completed him. And that was one of the very many reasons why he did not desire to lose her; he had lost too much already. He placed a sweet kiss on her forehead and embraced her to his chest. He never did that with the courtesans and models, she was indeed special, for his body seemed to magically obey his heart and not his mind. The moment he had set his eyes on her, he simply knew it; she was the one for him. Loosing Rachel was so hard on his part, as she had been the first love of his life, but her choice had always been Dent and that he could not bear.**

**"Bruce, I need to leave town for a couple of days." Alicia exclaims the very next day.**

**"What happened, darling?"**

**"My grandmother wants me beside her; I don't think she will hold on much longer. I need to be right by her side." She started to sob and Bruce hugged her tightly, like he never wanted to let go of her.**

**"Alright, honey, but promise me that you will go with Alfred till the train station."**

**"Okay, love. I am going to miss you a lot." She sealed a kiss on his lips and hugged him back.**

**There were some things even Alicia had to hide from Bruce, it was definitely not a sick grandmother who wants her by her side, it was entirely something else. **


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER TWO**

It was a typical day for Bruce, he was absorbed in his company in the morning and by night he was the caped vigilante. It sort of blended in his blood and he knew when to intervene and when to observe. Alicia had changed him drastically, taught him to balance things in life. He missed his parents, but she showed him a way, talk your heart out to the sky where they probably reside now. He did feel foolish initially, but it subsided as he learned that it was okay to be crazy sometimes. He had been a wreck in the past, but she offered a solution to all of his problems. Like she was his own medicine, created to be beside him and give him all of that lost love.

He was vexed about her not calling him, it had been two days and he could not sit tight. Alfred had just arrived and sensed his master's foul mood.

"Master Wayne, would you like some Black Coffee?" He asked cheerfully like he always did.

"Yes, Alfred, I think I do need one."

"Did you hear from Miss. Rosewood?"

"No. I tried all the numbers she had left me, not a single damn response. Alfred, I think she knows about that tracking dot I slipped into her coat pocket."

"Oh dear, that does not sound jolly good. What do you suggest Master Wayne?"

"I suggest we get cracking and find out where she disappeared to."

"I shall bring your Coffee to the cave then."

"What would I do without you?" He said mockingly and trotted off to the cave's secret entrance which was connected to his house via the library. The passkey was known to him and Alfred alone.

Alicia Rosewood was a million miles away from the city of Gotham. It was the month of her transition and she needed to be away from Bruce. He shouldn't find out about her origination. It would imperil his love for her and she desired that most in this world. She love d him with all that she possessed and she was very contented to be his confidante. They have now reached the first phase of a committed relationship. She had not anticipated Bruce to propose to her so soon. It all happened like a fairy tale, and she wanted a happy ending by all means.

It killed her every second to hide the truth from him, from Alfred. They were a family now. It sure did seem like that. Alfred was like a father to her and he accepted her blindly and that was not simply because she was Bruce's fiancée. The second he had seen her being escorted by Bruce into the Wayne Manor, he knew she was the one for him. And just like that everything fell into place.

She had first met him in an orphanage, where she had worked. He always visited there every month. He aided a thousand boys who went to the orphanage but one in specific as well. He assured that his every wish be granted, he very well wanted to be his father, but he wasn't ready. Not after all the things he had gone through. The boy was Timothy Speller, a nine year old who worshipped Bruce, not as an icon but something much more than that. They shared a very exceptional bond that she couldn't comprehend. And it was one of those days when she was working overtime and he made his way through the rain and into the building. He was soaking wet devoid of an umbrella, she was just astounded to behold the Bruce Wayne in such a disarrayed state.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER THREE**

"How may I help you Mr. Wayne?" She asked him with a sparkle of mirth in her eyes. She definitely wanted to laugh at his grand entrance, because it was so like him to gain audience when he does so.

"Hello, Miss Uh?"

"I am Alicia Rosewood."

"I have never seen you here." He asked with a mischievous wink.

"I joined here about two months ago." She replied monotonously, trying not to display too much of interest in their first meeting. She was however thrilled to meet the man in person.

"That explains it. Are you from around here?"

"No, I come from Portland. I got bored and needed a swap. So I moved in with my friend." She slapped herself mentally for revealing so much, he had only asked where she was from.

"That's great. Where is Mrs. Parkinson?"

"She is on a sick leave. I don't think she will be coming in until next month."

"That's a shame. I liked her a lot."

"Yeah, me too, I guess. What can I do for you, Mr. Wayne?"

"Coddle me." He murmured.

"Come again." She replied with a hint of annoyance in her voice. His flirtatious tone led her to the conclusion that she probably was going to be his take-me-home present. Her face suddenly became rigid.

"Sorry about that, I want to see Timothy Speller. Room number 37 I believe."

"Yes sir, I am aware of that tiny detail." Okay now he just pissed her off, pretty good.

"Thank you. Would you like to accompany me in this huge building? I might get lost here you know."

"Highly unlikely, but yeah, I guess so. I am done with my shift too. You are twenty minutes late, you do realize that right? This is generally our closing time, you knew that of course."

"I like being late. It's kind of my signature."

She snorted, and then covered it with a smile. Instantaneously, Bruce challenged himself to make this girl fall head-over-heels in love with him. She was a putting up a fight, he sensed that.

"Sorry, I just recalled that we had shifted Tim to the second floor. So, let's take the elevator."

"Don't trouble yourself, it's perfectly alright."

They made their way to the elevator and pressed the second floor button. Bruce was too busy staring at her red mess, _it s hard not to gaze at such perfection, _he mentally remarked. The lift stopped between the first floor and the second one, the lights were flickering like some demon would make a grand entrance. Alicia's face turned pallid, she was so cold all of a sudden. He noticed this and immediately pressed the intercom button. There was no response, she was literally shaking now.

"Are you okay?" Bruce caught hold of her shoulders and rubbed soothingly.

"Yeah…no…I…" She muttered all the while closing her eyes. He realized she was feeling claustrophobic. He took her into his arms murmuring reassuring words into her ears. She was getting colder now. He pressed the intercom button now, almost breaking it in the process. A man responded after a minute, "Hello?"

"We are stuck in the elevator between the first and the second floor. Fix it at once."

"I will be there in a minute, sir."

The elevator was shut off because the security guard assumed there was nobody in the building. Bruce yelled at the guard for not thoroughly checking the building before shutting down the elevator. He turned to Alicia to ensure that she was feeling better.

"How are you feeling now?"

"I am totally fine."

"There is nothing to be ashamed of, you know. It does happen to a lot of people." He said after acknowledging her blush. To his surprise, she just walked away without another word. He was perplexed by her behavior, _she is probably embarrassed,_ he thought. Finally he took the bloody stairs to visit the little guy.


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

She smiled when she thought about Bruce and his wild attitude. The man was a mess, and she loved it when he was chaotic. It was amazing to be needed by someone whom she loved more than herself. She remembered those nights when he held her to his chest and rocked her to sleep and then slowly rested her head on the pillow and snuck out to save his beloved city. She knew everything and anything about him. The way he liked his toast half-crunchy and half-soft, how he smiled, scratch that grinned when she fussed about his shortcomings, his mannish winces when she cleaned up his bruises, his passionate kisses that drove her senseless. He was beautiful and he was hers, and no one was going to take him away from her, this she vowed to herself.

They met at a fund-raiser ball for the orphanage a week later. This time, the kids were invited to have dinner and all of them were so very ecstatic. It was huge, and the guest was honor was evidently Bruce. He threw the party for his foster son, Tim. He did not live with him, but yeah, kind of a foster child. The kid loved a fancy meal once in a while. He was chatting animatedly with Tim and was suddenly smitten by Alicia, clad in a midnight blue gown which clung to her body. She was magnificent and Bruce couldn't take his eyes off of her. He was suddenly enraged to see her sporting a low neck. He did not know where the anger came from. It's not like he did not like low necks, hell he fancied it. He hated the old cows who were gawking at her neckline rather than the face.

He walked towards her and snatched a glass of champagne from the wine waiter who passed by him. She didn't see him yet. She was talking to one of the kids from the orphanage. But she did wonder where he was, it was his manor after all.

"Good evening." He breathed into her ear, almost kissing her. Her stomach started to tingle when he did that, he was provocatively close. _Boy, does he smell good, _she thought.

"Good evening, Mr. Wayne."

"It's Bruce, call me Bruce."

"Alright then, what's up Bruce." She grinned at him politely.

"That's more like it."

"Thank you."

"What are you thanking me for?"

"The other day in the elevator, I freaked out and you kind of helped out there and for this grand fundraiser. Thanks a ton."

"Pleasure is all mine." He said roguishly.

She suddenly felt warm under his gaze and her cheeks turned a faint pink. He traced his fingers on her cheeks, circling the pinkness transforming it to a darker shade.

"You look beautiful tonight."

She smiled at him, and also wondered how many times he must have said this very same line to a million other beautiful women. She was not even in his league if his dating history was put forth, what with all the models, actresses and dancers in his 'glorious' past. _I don't even surpass their grace, let alone beauty. He is only attempting to make me feel comfortable, that's all. Get a hang of yourself, Al. _She thought.

"The kids are having a wonderful time, I bet they are loving the food." She drifted his gaze towards the table and slightly moved away from his touch. "Did you visit Tim the other day? That was a stupid thing to do that day, I apologize for the inconvenience."

"Why don't you draw up a sheet and scratch down a letter of apology. That should satiate you, right?" He sounded irritated for some reason. She was surprised by his change in tone.

"I just felt bad about leaving that day, okay. It was stupid on my part." And she stormed off. She was giving him a tough time that was certain. _This is new, very new. How can she just walk away from me? Isn't this is exactly how I charm everyone, and they throw themselves at me. Play hard to catch, that's the one and only rule, _He thought.


End file.
